Police investigate vehicle burglaries in Brewer, Holden, Orrington

BANGOR, Maine — Police from Orrington, Brewer and Holden are investigating more than a dozen motor vehicle burglaries that occurred between late Sunday and early Monday.

Though the crimes happened in three communities, they all had one thing in common: All involved unlocked cars and trucks, authorities said Monday afternoon.

In Orrington, seven burglaries to motor vehicles were reported between 7 and 9:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Penobscot Regional Communications Center’s law incident summary report for that day. The report lists another five in Brewer, reported between about 5 and 10 a.m., and four more in Holden, reported between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Because the three communities abut each other, police from each have been sharing information they have gathered in the course of their respective investigations.

Story continues below advertisement.

“We clear a lot of burglaries when we work together,” Orrington police Officer Tom Rushmore said Monday.

According to Rushmore, all of the car burglaries there occurred on Snows Corner Road. Loose change and a GPS unit were among the items stolen.

“Most of the people [who reported items missing from their vehicles] turned in around 11 p.m.,” Rushmore said, adding that the thief or thieves apparently worked quickly and quietly, stealing from vehicles parked close to homes and without alerting residents’ dogs.

One woman said she heard a “bump” outside her home early Monday morning but didn’t learn her vehicle had been targeted until later, he said.

Rushmore said the burglars apparently weren’t interested in stealing vehicles because some of the vehicles they hit had keys in the ignitions.

He encouraged anyone who was out late Sunday or early Monday morning and saw any unusual activity to call police at 825-4178.

Brewer police Detective Nelson Feero said that five vehicles in that city were hit, also overnight. Though he declined to divulge what items were reported missing, he did say that the vehicle burglaries reported Monday occurred in the city’s north end.

“They were spread around,” he added.

Feero said anyone with information about the Brewer incidents should call the city’s Police Department at 989-7001.

In Holden, four vehicle burglaries were reported, with most victims reporting that loose change was taken, police Officer Nicholas Fletcher said.

Fletcher said such crimes have been an ongoing problem in the area in recent years.

“It comes and goes in waves,” he said. He asked anyone with information about the Holden burglaries to call 945-4636.

On Monday, police from the three communities reminded residents to lock their vehicles and keep valuables out of sight.